Tuesday, July 24, 2012

In case you haven't heard the news, it appears that the Red Bulls have made a move for their third Designated Player. Everton FC of the English Premier League announced on their website that 32-year-old attacking midfielder/forward, and Australian international, Tim Cahill, is on his way to New York. As usual, until the deal is completely done, the Red Bulls are adhering to MLS policy and saying nothing.

In the wake of all of this news, I couldn't help but think how many very good moves have been made by Sporting Director, Erik Soler, since the end of the 2011 season. Even the moves with the least impact, like the free transfer pickup of Jose Angulo for $33,500, are perfectly reasonable in comparison to the inexplicable Brian Nielsen and Marcos Paullo acquisitions of previous years.

For your perusal, here are all of the moves made since the end of the 2011 season. I'm struck by how much turnover there has been, and how many of the moves have been clear gains for the club. The results can be seen on the pitch, where the team put together their best first half in club history.

There are 11 players cut from last year that saw 90 minutes or less in MLS play in 2011. Through 21 games played this season, there are only 6 players who've 90 minutes or less. That is a lot of dead wood cut, some great acquisitions, and a lot of value when trades were made. Fans love to hate our management, but this is an impressive list of moves, and it has paid off on the pitch.

In case you haven't heard the news, it appears that the Red Bulls have made a move for their third Designated Player. Everton FC of the English Premier League announced on their website that 32-year-old attacking midfielder/forward, and Australian international, Tim Cahill, is on his way to New York. As usual, until the deal is completely done, the Red Bulls are adhering to MLS policy and saying nothing.

In the wake of all of this news, I couldn't help but think how many very good moves have been made by Sporting Director, Erik Soler, since the end of the 2011 season. Even the moves with the least impact, like the free transfer pickup of Jose Angulo for $33,500, are perfectly reasonable in comparison to the inexplicable Brian Nielsen and Marcos Paullo acquisitions of previous years.

For your perusal, here are all of the moves made since the end of the 2011 season. I'm struck by how much turnover there has been, and how many of the moves have been clear gains for the club. The results can be seen on the pitch, where the team put together their best first half in club history.

There are 11 players cut from last year that saw 90 minutes or less in MLS play in 2011. Through 21 games played this season, there are only 6 players who've 90 minutes or less. That is a lot of dead wood cut, some great acquisitions, and a lot of value when trades were made. Fans love to hate our management, but this is an impressive list of moves, and it has paid off on the pitch.